Vice Versa
by Chainlinks
Summary: In a world where the heroes are villains and vice versa, detective Beyond Birthday and his partner, the morally ambiguous hacker Matt take on cults and car-jacking rings. AU, eventual Matt/Mello
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Dedicated to Pilipa, who let me steal her prompt, let me talk out all my ideas down to the last detail, introduced me to cassocks by means of the most awesome fanart ever, and then told me to hurry up and post this since Hot Priest Mihael needs to be shared with the world. It's thanks to her that you're reading this. You know what that means, right? Don't like it, blame her.

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This is an alternate universe fic, based on the prompt "in a world where the heroes are villains and vice versa". I tried to keep the characters true to themselves, but their motivations are very, very different from what you may be used to.

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Warnings: Slash, violence, religious themes, an abundance of illegal activities

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Vice Versa

Chapter One

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"I need a favor," Beyond said, leaning forward earnestly.

If it had been anyone but Beyond, Matt would have said no. He didn't do favors. He did transactions. But, it was Beyond, so Matt raised his eyebrow as an invitation for Beyond to explain.

Beyond leaned forward further, at an angle that would look awkward and unusual on anyone that wasn't him. He spread out several sheets of paper. Some were computer print-outs, their high quality serving as proof that Beyond had been borrowing Matt's laser printer again. Most of the papers, however, were lined notebook paper, college rule, and crammed with cramped writing.

"What's this?" Matt asked, though he had a pretty good idea already.

"Just a few things I've been keeping an eye on," Beyond said, smiling. Beyond's smile was a little off, with one side higher than the other and a manic look coming into his eyes.

Matt frowned, staring at the papers. "When did you even have time to work on these? They're all dated with today's date." He was used to Beyond's obsession with dates, and knew where to find Beyond's shorthanded dates at the lower right-hand corner of every page, even the computer print-outs.

"Those aren't the dates they were created. Those are the dates I knew my research would be completed and I should give them to you." Beyond said.

Matt knew better than to question Beyond's fanaticism with temporal awareness, so he began skimming the pages. Two faces stuck out, centered on several of the computer print-out and diagrammed with an architect's precision on the notebook paper. There were other people profiled on the pages, but none of them so many as these two.

"Who are they?" Matt asked, sliding two of the printed-off pictures towards Beyond.

Beyond put one finger on the picture of a blonde priest smiling invitingly at the camera. "A priest." Beyond's finger moved to the second picture, the mug shot of a boy with pale hair. "A criminal."

"Thank you so much for stating the obvious. What do they have in common, then?" Matt asked, lighting a cigarette. "Because there's no way in hell I'm going to try to read all of your notes until I don't have any other choice."

Beyond considered Matt's question. "Nothing, as far as I can tell."

"Then why am I looking at this?" Matt asked.

Beyond deftly began sorting the papers into two stacks. Three of the papers were ripped neatly in order to be put in separate piles. "Two cases. I want to take them both."

"The reward that good?" Matt asked, beginning to smile around his cigarette in anticipation. Beyond was the detective, but he and Beyond shared everything, including half a dozen aliases who each had a bank account or two where the profit they made from solving cases was carefully allocated.

"Not really," Beyond said. "The criminal has served an inconsequentially small amount of time in a juvenile detention center, but I suspect that he got off without anyone having any idea how much of a role he really had -- and if I'm correct, still has -- in what's going on."

"So no reward at all," Matt said morosely. "Again. What about the hot priest?"

Beyond stared at Matt thoughtfully for a moment. "You think he's physically attractive?" he asked, interested.

Matt looked at Beyond as if he was crazy. "Who wouldn't?"

Beyond snatched one of the papers in the priest's pile and began scribbling furiously on the back of one of the pages. When he was done, Matt grabbed it to see what he wrote. It took a few tries to decipher Beyond's ever-changing shorthand, but Matt had more practice than practically anyone.

"Suspect found highly physically attractive by average male. Perhaps uses this --" Matt frowned, and huffed a bit, insulted. "You think I'm average now?"

"I would have to verify the information with multiple average males to be completely sure," Beyond said placatingly as he avoided Matt's question entirely. "If I wanted to be scientific about it. I trust your opinion, though, as you seemed particular confident in your appraisal of Mihael Kheel."

"That's his name? Mihael? Sounds kind of foreign." Matt thumbed through the rest of the pictures of the priest.

"He is Italian. He came to the United States looking to--" Beyond looked down at one of the papers in order to quote it, but Matt knew that was just for show. Beyond remembered every word he wrote on those papers. "--'correct those who have strayed from the flock and showed them the true glory and power of God.'"

"A cult leader? We haven't played with one of those before." Matt said, intrigued.

Beyond frowned, his face a strange mixture of motherly scolding and familiar fondness. "This isn't a game. This is justice."

"So what's the reward on hot priest Mihael?" Matt asked. Beyond got so freaking patronizing when he started talking about justice. It was usually best to divert all conversations from the topic.

"There is no reward," Beyond replied.

Normally he would complain, but right now, Matt was just grateful he didn't bust out with something ridiculously cliche like "Justice is our reward." Matt slumped down in his chair, though, mentally revising the groceries budget. With his passion for this justice thing, Beyond tended to forget that humans couldn't just survive on jams and other condiments.

"So what is my part in this?" Matt asked. "Hacking telephone records? Bank accounts? Criminal records? Surveillance camera footages? Please let it be the surveillance footage."

Beyond was staring thoughtfully at the ceiling. He'd leaned his body backwards gracelessly in order to get the best view of the crumbling plaster. "I do need your help," he said.

"And?" Matt asked.

Beyond jerked upright in order to stare Matt in the eyes. Matt flinched a bit and was grateful for his tinted goggles. No matter how much time he spent with the older boy, there would always be something deeply unsettling about his gaze.

"I need jam," Beyond said. "Fourteen jars of strawberry would be ideal, but the store two blocks down stocks nine jars maximum of my preferred brand and as it is midweek, I expect there are no more than seven left. I will accept raspberry as well."

"Fine, but I'm picking up a pizza too, and you're eating at least one slice," Matt said.

B considered. "I will eat the pizza if you pick of the cheese for me and replace all of your avocado bits with gumdrops and all of your smoked ham pieces with Oreos."

"Deal." Matt said, standing up and grabbing his wallet off the counter. "Want to come with?"

"No," Beyond said.

"It'll be fun and you don't get out enough. You're coming with me," Matt said.

"No," Beyond said. "I have cases."

"It's not like they're going to be paying our bills or anything," Matt said. He grabbed Beyond's arm and pulled him to his feet. "Come on, you big baby. It's only a couple of blocks. The walk isn't going to kill you."

Beyond found that it was generally useless to argue with Matt when he had determined that something was "healthy". He let out a very put-upon sigh and followed Matt to the door. As they left their apartment, they nearly bumped into the little old lady who lived across the hall. She was short, rotund, and had an unholy fear of both boys. She crossed herself as she nearly fled into her own apartment, knocking the wreath off of her front door as she slammed it.

Beyond knelt down and examined the wreath the same way he examined corpses on other days. One of the plastic pink roses had fallen askew. He fixed it and gingerly picked it up and replaced it on the nail on her door while Matt tapped his foot to display his impatience. Beyond took a few extra moments to both assure that the wreath was hung correctly and two annoy Matt as punishment for making him tag along in the first place.

When they arrived at the grocery store, Matt and Beyond promptly engaged in a scuffle to see who would get to ride in the cart. Matt seemed to be winning at first, but abruptly, Beyond ducked out of Matt's grip and sat down on the ground, sticking his entire thumb in his mouth, staring up at Matt with wide, imploring eyes.

"What the crap are you doing?" Matt demanded, once he had regained his balance.

"Earlier, you informed me that I was -- and I quote -- 'a big baby', so I am now behaving as my position dictates is socially acceptable," Beyond told him, mumbling around his thumb.

"You suck," Matt informed him, but he had already realized that the battle had been lost and scooped Beyond's gangly body up and dumped him in the cart unceremoniously.

"That hurt," Beyond informed him, nursing his ankle, pulling it up to his face in order to examine it for bruising.

"Maybe you should lay off all the sweets so that you aren't too heavy for me to pick up," Matt said. He shoved the cart into motion, sending Beyond sprawling backwards, both legs flopping over the front of the cart.

"It helps me think," Beyond said. Matt ignored his oft-used excuse and pushed forward through the store, in search of pizza, jam and assorted appealing junk foods. As they passed the cereal aisle, Beyond's hand shot out and snagged the corner of one of the shelves in a vice grip, sending the cart in a tight turn into the aisle.

Matt slammed his foot on the rack on the bottom of the cart, stopping it from careening into a shelf of Frosted Flakes. "You're lucky I have a good reflexes or your head would be occupying the same place as Tony the Tiger's," Matt told Beyond, who had slipped off his flip flops and was cheerfully ignoring Matt as he grabbed boxes of Lucky Charms with his feet.

Matt snatched the Lucky Charms and put them back on the shelf. "No way are we spending money on those. You only eat the marshmallows and waste the rest of the cereal."

"You can eat the rest of the cereal and I will eat the marshmallows," Beyond said logically, grabbing one of the Lucky Charms boxes out of Matt's hands, still using his feet. He dumped the box onto his stomach and hugged it protectively.

"Fine," Matt said. "One box, but I'm not eating the cardboard crap you leave behind when you're done with the marshmallows."

"I'll put them on my pizza!" Beyond informed Matt as if this was his most brilliant plan to date.

"Leave them off my side of the pizza, then," Matt said, maneuvering them back out of the cereal aisle.

"I do not plan on sharing," Beyond said.

It didn't take long before the two had made their way in a zig-zag pattern through the store, with Beyond occasionally forcing a stop as he snagged something off the shelf, sometimes using his feet, sometimes using his hands, whichever seemed more convenient. Eventually, however, they had made their loop, grabbing all the essentials, including a massive pizza that Beyond was now balancing on his head, sitting up straight in the cart and keeping his head perfectly still and level in order to maintain the pizza's position.

They went through the check-out with relative ease. They were on a first name basis with the cashier, who knew enough not to comment by now. Sometimes they got a newer cashier who slowed things down by asking questions and getting bewildered when Beyond started fiddling with things beyond the register, but this woman knew better and merely handed Beyond her jangly set of keys before quickly beginning to scanning the items. Matt figured that she assumed Beyond was completely unstable and liked the shininess and the clang of the keys. Really, however, Beyond was completely enthralled by the concept of being given her set of keys. He fiddled with them, wondering if Matt would be proud of his adept social interaction.

Matt paid using a credit card put in the name of Mail Jeevas. It had been his name before Beyond had adopted him out of the foster care system they had both been born into, and it served as a decent alias. Not a great alias, since it was so easily linked back to him, but it worked for hosting the bank account that paid for their groceries, and even got to use an ID card that had at one point been legal.

Matt grabbed about half the bags and dumped the rest of them out along with Beyond as he tipped the cart over. "This is abuse," Beyond informed him, crab-walking his way out of the cart with the rest of the bags looped around his wrists.

"You know, if you didn't deserve it so much, I might feel sorry for you," Matt said, reaching down and giving Beyond a hand to his feet.

They arrived back at their apartment without (much) incident, and Beyond bounded back to his favorite thinking chair while Matt went to put their half cucumber, avocado and smoked ham, half Oreos, gummy worms and Lucky Charms marshmallow pizza in the oven. Both young men puttered in silence for a long stretch, before Beyond spoke up, making startling Matt into losing a life on his Gameboy. "What?"

"I want to take these cases at once," Beyond said. "I think they'll both prove to be interesting."

Matt raised and eyebrow. "I am completely willing to --"

"Are you about to make a sexual innuendo about Mihael Keehl?" Beyond asked politely.

Matt exhaled loudly. "You ruin everything."

"I think your pizza is on fire," Beyond said, pointing at the oven, which was smoking violently.

Matt raced over and yanked the oven out with the fuzzy green potholders he'd been wearing for just such a purpose. He peered at the pizza, wrinkling his nose a bit. "Actually," he said, glancing over to where Beyond was attempting to get a look at the pizza without actually rising to his feet, "I think only your half of the pizza burnt. Or melted. I've never seen blackened gummy worm goozing into marinara sauce like that. It looks like someone stepped on them and their guts are gushing out all over the pizza." In one fluent gesture, Matt pulled a slice off the pizza and sat it on a paper plate, then brought it over to Beyond. "Bon appetite!"

"It's just how I like it," Beyond said so that Matt wouldn't get upset with him for being impolite and ungrateful again. He peered at the pizza suspiciously. "Thank you, Matt. It looks delicious." He picked up the slice, ignoring the heat, and examined it from all angles. "Are you sure it's safe to eat?"

"Not at all," Matt said. "But you're going to eat at least two slices to assuage my conscience."

"Giving me food poisoning will assuage your conscience?" Beyond asked, chewing thoughtfully on his first piece. "Have you ever been tested for sociopathy?"

Matt chuckled. He'd been around Beyond long enough to recognize Beyond's way of making jokes. "It's a win-win situation. If you don't get food poisoning, I feel like a responsible homemaker. If you get food poisoning, I get to laugh at you."

"And you get to hold my hair out of my face when I vomit," Beyond said. He took another bite. "This tastes much better than it looks."

"Hold back your hair when you --" Matt snatched Beyond's slice of pizza from his hands. "Hell no."

"Matt!" Beyond whined, leaning as far forward as he could in his chair without falling out, trying to reach for his pizza. "Give it back!"

Matt frowned. "I am not going to give you food poisoning again and suffer through another vomit session," he said.

Beyond pulled back from Matt, then scooted forward with bumpy little movements, stretched forward again, and took his pizza back. Matt let him this time, rolling his eyes and succumbing to the temptation of his own pizza.

"So you already told me about Hot Priest Mihael," Matt said between bites. He pulled out a sheet of paper from Beyond's stacks, smearing the picture of the white haired boy with pizza grease. "But what makes him so interesting, exactly? He doesn't really look like much of a challenge."

"I'm almost positive that he's running a massive crime ring," Beyond said.

"What makes you think that?" Matt asked.

Beyond shrugged. "Something about him," he said vaguely.

"Right," Matt said. "Want another piece?"

Beyond considered. "No thank you."

Matt stared at him critically. "You're too thin. Eat another piece."

"You called me fat earlier, when you were lifting me into the cart," Beyond pointed out.

"I also told you that you should eat real food instead of just jam," Matt said. He handed Beyond another piece.

"Why did you ask me if I wanted another piece when your answer overrode mine anyways?" Beyond asked inquisitively.

"Just eat the pizza," Matt said. "What's Crimelord Kid's name?"

"Nate River. I want to test him. Can we buy a car?"

Matt considered. "That depends. Is this a 'I want to see if he's interesting' test, a 'this could lead to a break in the case' test, and most importantly, is this a 'Matt will get the car back' test?"

"Yes, maybe and probably not," Beyond replied.

Matt considered, then shrugged. "It's a terrible idea, but I like car shopping. We can go tomorrow."

"I have work," Beyond said. "Perhaps you'd like to go by yourself? I trust your judgment. I'm sure you will pick out a very nice car for as little money as possible. Something a chop shop would be interested in."

Matt nodded. "Sure. I can do that first thing tomorrow."

"I like the used car lot four blocks west of the Chinese restaurant that gave you the fortune cookie that told you 'You are not a person who can be ignored'," Beyond said.

Matt and Beyond Birthday had technically been living together for the better part of twelve years, thanks to Matt's amateur manipulation of the foster care system. When Matt was nine, Beyond turned eighteen and applied for legal guardianship of the useful young hacker. Since then, they had moved from being a business partnership to a dysfunctional but ultimately healthy family. Those twelve years had taught them a lot, and that was the only reason why Matt knew how to recognize all of LA's Chinese restaurants by the fortunes they had given him at some distant point in time.

"Sure thing. Krazy Karl's Karz it is," Matt said. "I will shop there, as much as it pains me to shop at a place that spells 'cars' with a K and a Z, then goes out of its way to have the initials KKK. The things I do for you, Beyond. Seriously."


	2. Chapter 2

It didn't take him long to find the perfect car. It was a smokey charcoal Jeep Cherokee. Matt had done his homework and knew that the way to get a car stolen was not to have a flashy car, but to have a pretty standard car with a couple of snazzy additions, some power under the hood and easy access. This baby looked pretty good, with it's leather seats, intact airbags and --

Matt flipped out his cell phone and speed dialed Beyond. "I need it."

"You found a car, then?"

"It's gorgeous. I thought she was just what we were looking for but now I know that she's so much more."

"Ah. You found a car and you grew attached."

"This is not attachment, this is love!" Matt cried. He caressed the hood affectionately. "Rebuilt engine, Beyond. Rebuilt 1978 engine. Only worth a couple thou, but if you could see the shape she's in. It's gorgeous and I want it."

"So it's something that is appropriate for our cause?" Beyond asked. "Good. If it survives the case, you can consider it your holiday gift for the next ten years and you will no longer be allowed to yell at me for forgetting your presents or for getting you presents that you dislike."

"Deal," Matt said, clicking the phone shut.

Krazy Karl, owner of Krazy Karl's Karz hovered nearby.

"My dad said that he'll get me a new car instead. This baby's gorgeous, but for the price, I could get something even better." Matt put on his patented "I'm normal" smile for the man and made it an entire two steps out of the lot before Krazy Karl told him to come on in to negotiate the price a bit lower.

It wasn't that Matt was good with people, but he did know cars. He knew cars better than this man and, normal teenager smile still firmly fixed in place, he cowed that man into believing that the old car was a piece of junk and the fact that Matt had fallen in love with the engine did not mean that Matt was going to pay anything even remotely near what the car was worth.

Matt was just walking out of the dealership office, feeling smug with the keys in his hand, when his phone rang again. He flipped it open. "Hey. I got the car and --"

"You're still at the car lot?" Beyond asked.

"Just signed the papers and --"

"Walk out of the car lot and turn right. Take approximately fifteen steps."

"Great, I love treasure hunts," Matt said with a roll of his eyes, but he did exactly as Beyond told him. That put him at a rather crowded bus stop that had overflowed to mix with a group waiting to cross the street. "Alright, now what?"

"Be quiet and listen."

Matt shut up, listening until he found what he was looking for.

"Hot Priest Mihael on a street corner!" Matt exclaimed.

"You're not very good at being quiet, are you?" Beyond asked.

"You could have warned me that I was going to be meeting Hot Priest Mihael," Matt said.

"You aren't going to meet him. I merely wanted your opinions on his preaching style and to gauge how effective he really is."

"Like hell I'm not going to meet him. He's even hotter when he's preaching than when he's posing for church website photos. I've got to go. See you when I get home. Don't wait up." Matt clicked the phone shut and turned it off, then glanced at his watch. The last morning bus would come in about twenty minutes. After that, the crowd would begin to thin out substantially until the lunch crowd came in. If Mihael was a smart hot priest, then he would migrate to the shopping district during that time. Maybe Matt could accompany or, better yet, distract him entirely.

Matt wasn't quite sure if the next twenty minutes were boring as hell or not. Mihael's voice and the fervent look in his eyes were definitely some awesome scenery and daydream fodder, but Matt wasn't sure what to think of the content. It wasn't the usual salvation, repent, hellfire sermon that street corner preachers tended to draw from. This was something, different, about breaking from the traditions that had bound sinners for generations and be brave enough to pave the way for something new, as God saw fit. It was a deliberately crafted speech that was inspiring and uplifting and made even Matt's heart swell the tiniest bit with the feeling like he too could be a part of something bigger, something better, because he was meant for more than the mundanity of his current life. Not that his life was really mundane in any sense of the word, but that wasn't really the point.

The crowd thinned. Mihael was approached time and time again. He touched each person on the face or the head, something intimate without overstepping any bounds, and he would pray with each person and invite them to a Sunday worship, giving them a small flyer with the vital information printed across it and the church's name across the flyer in big letters. The first letter of each word in the church's name was presented in big, Old English lettering.

Finally, it was just Matt on a bench and Hot Priest Mihael. Mihael smiled and Matt. "Have you found salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ?" Mihael asked.

Matt had never found that phrase so incredibly sexy. The lithe body that was just underneath the robes didn't exactly hurt. They weren't the typical priest's robes, which were kind of kinky in themselves. These robes were slightly different, with the standard black and white collar, a small capelet around the shoulder, engraved black buttons up the front, and a certain form to it that fell around Mihael's body in such a way that it was made very clear that he was a well built man.

"It's a cassock," Mihael explained, following the trail of Matt's eyes and only half correctly guessing the thoughts going on inside his head. "They're worn by pastors and laypastors of the Holy Roman Church." There was the barest hint of pride seeping through Mihael's Italian accent. Matt took this as a hopeful sign. Good, boring, celibate Catholic priests weren't supposed to have pride, right? Wasn't that the number one sin?

"I'm Mihael Keehl," Mihael said, clasping Matt's shoulder in a warm and friendly grip. "And you are?"

"Matt Birthday," Matt replied.

"I like it," Mihael said with a decisive nod. "It's unique, but it seems to suits you."

There was something about Mihael's voice that made Matt want to agree with whatever he said. It was soothing, but forceful. Matt had been idly listening to it for the past twenty minutes and he'd thought he'd built up something of an immunity to it, but when it was directed right at him and him alone, that immunity faded rapidly.

"Do you know who the world's first preacher was?" Mihael asked suddenly.

Matt tilted his head, unsure of where Mihael was going with this exactly, but as long as Mihael kept talking with that voice, with those entirely too intense eyes fixed on him, Matt was happy to listen. It was the eyes that really got to him. There was something, a spark in them, that made it obvious to anyone looking that Mihael really believed with every fiber of his being in everything he said. Then Mihael's lips twisted into a smile and Matt was distracted all over again by his mouth.

"The world's first preacher was God the Father Almighty himself," Mihael said. "And the hearers were Adam and Eve and the words he spoke were 'Where art thou?' Adam hid from God and that's what mankind has been doing ever since."

Mihael's eyes found Matt's, somewhere beneath the goggles and fringed red hair. "Are you hiding, Matt?"

Mihael's very attractive, quirky bend of the lips flipped upside-down to a sad little frown. "Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon the holiness of God. John fell as if dead at the feet of God's glory in Revelations. Jonah ran and hid from the will of God Almighty. Peter hid in his denial of Jesus. It is human nature to hide, Matt. That's what I'm here for, though. I'm here to tell you that you're hiding from all the wrong things."

"What am I supposed to be hiding from, then?" Matt asked. Although a part of him still wanted to ask whether or not Mihael was wearing underwear under his cassock, or if they were like kilts and you weren't supposed to wear underwear with them... Matt was surprised to find himself too enthralled by what Mihael was actually saying.

Mihael's lips rose in a wide smile. "Evil," he said simply. "We're supposed to be hiding from Evil by finding solace in God, not the other way around. Psalm 143, verse 9: 'I flee unto Thee to hide me.'"

Matt stared and a silence stretched between them. Mihael met Matt's stare evenly. "Are you Catholic?" Matt asked, losing more composure than he would have liked but not as much as he would have if he had let himself get sucked into Mihael's silence and Mihael's eyes.

"I don't belong to the Catholic church anymore," Mihael replied. "The Catholic church has been corrupt for eons, rotting in its own stagnant ways. They're so firmly rooted in their past that they can't see today. The Neo-Catholic Church of the Reformation believes in today, in the now. God has led us into a new era, where we are all brothers and sisters in Christ and no one is turned away."

Mihael's eyes had that impassioned fire again, but Matt knew he couldn't let that line pass him by. "No one is turned away? So if I were to tell you that I was a polygandrious serial killing nudist, I'd still be accepted just the way I am?"

Mihael gave him an up and down look that, Matt was disappointed to see, was about as non-sexual as up and down looks came. "We also accept prevaricators," he said, in a voice that was something in between sweetness and sarcasm.

Matt grinned, surprised at the preacher's wit.

Mihael caught the smile and sent one back, sending a tingle shooting up Matt's spine, settling between his shoulder blades. "I would tell you that any sins you've committed are between you and God the Father Almighty," Mihael said. "If you have to ask, however, perhaps you have a guilty conscience and should come to confessional."

Matt was positive that Mihael had not intended that to be a come on. Nearly positive. "Maybe I should," he said, meeting Mihael's eyes again.

Mihael pressed a flyer into his hand. Matt had witnessed Mihael handing out flyers earlier and had noted the strange grip Mihael used when handing out his flyers. He didn't just offer them to people. Mihael _pressed_ them into people's hands. It was strangely intimate and took Matt's breath away.

Matt jerked his had free, startled, and practically fled back to the car lot. He stuffed the flyer in the back pocket of his jeans and yanked out his cell phone, pressing the speed dial for home.

"Birthday residence," Beyond said politely, answering on the first ring.

"I've been compromised," Matt said dramatically. "I'm too emotionally involved with the case. I need to pull out now."

"Is this about the car still?" Beyond asked.

"No, it's about Hot Priest Mihael," Matt replied, as if the answer were obvious.

"What were your observations?" Beyond asked curiously.

"Charisma, charm, passion, a nice smile and this awesome intensity behind his eyes. And his cassock was, you know, cassock-y, but it was just tight enough to give me ideas," Matt said promptly.

"I was hoping for something a little more subjective, but this suits my purposes just as well, I suppose," Beyond said, and Matt could hear him scribbling something down on paper.

"Hanging up now," Matt said. "I'll be home in fifteen minutes. I've just got to grab the car."

Matt clicked his phone shut and hopped in the seat of his brand new, probably soon to be stolen Jeep. Before he so much as pressed his foot on the gas, however, Mihael was running up to the side of the Jeep. "I don't want you to be one of the countless lost sheep who take my flyer, walk away, and I never see them again." Mihael's eyes hardened into something fiercely determined. "Tonight we're hosting our Wednesday night service. It's typically limited only to those in training to be full members of the church, but I feel a strong connection with you. I sincerely believe that his was meant to be. You should attend."

Matt almost wanted to say no, since this seemed like something he should consult with Beyond about, but he got the impression that saying no wasn't really an option. "Okay," he said. "What time should I show up?"

** *

"You shouldn't go," Beyond said.

"Seriously, what's the problem?" Matt asked, flinging himself on their beige loveseat. They didn't have a couch, but with only two people ever in the house, a loveseat was enough. Matt used his arms to pull himself and the loveseat he was currently occupying towards the wall-mounted desk that held his beloved modified desktop. "He seemed like a nice guy who really, really believes in what he's talking about. If there's corruption in his church, I don't think it's stemming from him."

Beyond frowned and nibbled on his index finger, which had been coated in jam. "Surveillance camera at the hardware store with the blonde cashier that directed us to the blue screwdriver we needed."

It took a few minutes for Matt to pull up the surveillance footage that Beyond was requesting. Most of that time was spent moving equipment out of the extra room and connecting it to Matt's desktop. "Got it," Matt said. "Doesn't look anything interesting is going on there, though."

"Six days, ten hours and forty-three seconds ago," Beyond said.

"More work? Jeeze. I'd better be able to get Chinese take-out tonight as payment for my labor," Matt said. It took him only a few seconds before the screen switched to a night time scene. There were three cars parked in the lot within view of the camera. Four men stood outside one of the cars. They appeared to be talking, but there was no sound.

One of the car doors opened. Mihael emerged, cassock and all. The only thing different between this Mihael and the Mihael he'd met today was that the Mihael he'd met had been wearing a short, low ponytail and this one left his hair undone. Also, he had a sophisticated looking briefcase in one hand and an automatic weapon in the other.

It was a brief exchange. The men traded briefcases with Mihael and Mihael cracked open the briefcase, staring intensely at the contents. One of the men pulled out a handgun and pointed it at Mihael. Even though logically, Matt knew that the scene before him had happened almost a week ago, he felt a sharp pang of alarm. He shouldn't have worried, though, A pale arm stuck out of the car and shot the attacker. Mihael started, probably at the sound of the gun shot, and Matt saw his eyes narrow in righteous anger. He spun around on one heel and shot the other three men. Calmly, every bit the picture of composure, Mihael walked over to their corpses and picked up the briefcase he'd handed to them. He went back to his car and leaned into the open window for a moment, having a conversation with someone. A tall blonde woman exited the car, speaking into a slim cell phone and nodding obediently at Mihael as he climbed in the car and drove away.

Matt paused the feed. "Well," he said. "You may have been right about Mihael. I don't think he's quite the upstanding citizen I thought he was."


	3. Chapter 3

Beyond walked into the police station. "Is Officer Naomi Penbar here?" he asked the receptionist.

"Oh, Beyond, how are you?" the bubbly receptionist asked. She handed him one of the lollipops that she kept in a bowl by her desk. "Of course. Naomi is in her office. She's been expecting you."

Beyond walked into the back, where Naomi's office was. It was a small office, perpetually cluttered with a million papers and odds and ends. Beyond felt strangely at home there.

"What is it?" Naomi snapped. She was always in a bad mood, ever since she had been permanently suspended from the FBI. Because of this, she did not deal with social pleasantries. Beyond liked this about her. It made her so much easier to deal with.

"I was wondering about a boy whose case you dealt with four years ago," Beyond said.

"Does he have a name?" Naomi asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Nate Rivers," Beyond said. "Could I please take a look at your files on him?"

Something froze in Naomi's face. This was another reason that Beyond insisted in picking up his files from Naomi. Naomi had a soft spot for children raised into crime, and that led her to making rash decisions that only continued the crime cycle. These decisions always showed on her face. Judging by the look in her eyes and the frozen line of her lips, Nate was something special to Naomi. Something important.

Naomi stiffly handed over the folder of papers, her every movement portraying dislike for Beyond and the discomfort she felt around him. Beyond smiled politely and left her office. She sat there, shuffling her papers and wondering exactly how much she had given away this time. She never could tell until Beyond was ready to use whatever information he'd obtained against her.

There was a knock at her door. Naomi's back tensed almost painfully even though she knew Beyond would never be polite enough to knock. She looked up. Instead of the highly disturbing detective, her husband Ray stood in the doorway, smiling gently at her.

"That bad?" Ray asked teasingly.

"You have no idea," Naomi said exasperatedly. She sighed gustily. "I have no idea why I let that guy get to me so much. He's always showing up and creeping me out, which wouldn't be so bad if he wasn't constantly thwarting all of my plans to save the children."

"Who's he after this time?" Ray asked.

"Nate River," Naomi replied, folding her arms on her desk and burying her head in them. "He doesn't understand what this boy's been through. The boy's father was violently abusive right up to the point he was put in jail six years ago, his mother is a nutcase, and he's grown up in complete poverty. The only reason he's turning to crime now is because it's the only life he and his brothers know. Sending them to jail for something like that will only immerse him further in that lifestyle."

Ray moved into the office and touched his wife's shoulder. "We can only keep doing what we're doing," he said.

Naomi stared up at him, gears seeming to move behind her eyes as she considered alternatives. "Not necessarily," she said. "I don't think living by example is enough anymore. Beyond is playing aggressively. We need to do the same."

She reached for her phone and held it to her ear as she dug out her day planner. It didn't take her long to find the number she wanted. "Hello? Hi, Mrs. River, it's Naomi Penber. Is Nate home? ... Planning a car jacking? Deborah, you know I'm a cop, right? You probably shouldn't be telling me that."

Abruptly, the voice on the other end of the phone was replaced. Instead of the dreamy, husky voice of a chainsmoking forty-something female, Naomi heard a familiar, quiet monotone. "Officer Naomi Penbar?" the voice asked. "This is Nate."

"Fantastic," Naomi said, letting loose a sigh of relief.

"Was there something you needed?" Nate asked with his trademarked chill. "I'm in the middle of a meeting with some important people."

"Is there somewhere we can meet to discuss some important--"

"No," Nate said. He managed to let slip a note of impatience while keeping his voice perfectly steady. "There's not. Tell me over the phone. Todd says the line is clear. As long as there's no one who can overhear you in your office, there's no reason you can't just tell me now."

"Have you heard of the detective Beyond Birthday?" Naomi asked.

There was a curious pause. "I don't believe so."

"He doesn't normally deal in cases such as yours," Naomi said. "But he's taken a special interest in you. I've never seen him fail to catch someone he sets out to catch. I want you to be extremely careful."

"I'm always careful," Nate said blandly.

"Be even more careful, then," Naomi scolded him. "I know you have funds saved up. Why don't you lay low for a while? You could use the break."

"I don't see the point in taking a break. This detective may be the best in his line of work, but I'm better at mine. He won't catch me."

"If you're so good, what do you have to say about your stint in juvie?" Naomi asked.

"Planned," Nate said curtly.

"Of course it was," Naomi said, patronizing enough that Nate would know she didn't believe him.

"I don't care to discuss this with you," Nate said, boredom positively dripping from his voice. "I appreciate your warning, but it was unnecessary."

Naomi slammed the phone down on the receiver in a bout of frustration. That was how most of her phone conversations with Nate River ended, and she wasn't sure why she had expected this one to go any differently. Of all the kids that she worked hard to keep out of the system's grasp, Nate was by far the most infuriating. He was more intelligent than anyone Naomi had ever met, and he knew it. He didn't understand that he still wasn't infallible, though. Someday his ego would get the better of him and, loathe though she was to admit it, Beyond Birthday was likely the detective to bring Nate down.

On the other end of the now dead line, Nate stared thoughtfully at the phone. For all of his stubbornness, he knew a warning when he heard one. He would have to do some research on this Beyond Birthday figure.

***

"I want to order."

"No," Matt said, blowing a puff of smoke out their tiny basement level apartment window.

"I want to order," Beyond repeated.

"No way," Matt repeated. "You remember what happened last time."

"That," Beyond replied primly, "was entirely not my fault. Now, as I am technically your parental figure, I will have to demand that you surrender your cell phone so that I may call and order us some delicious Chinese food."

Matt sighed and tossed Beyond his phone. "Don't scare Su too badly, Daddy dearest. And stop pulling the parental figure card. It kind of creeps me out."

"You should have thought that through before you ordered me to adopt you," Beyond said smugly, pushing the speed dial number for their usual Chinese place. Matt leaned forward to push the speakerphone button, then sat back, ready to watch the madness and intervene if necessary.

"Wang Yao Authentic Chinese Delivery. This is Su, how may I help you this evening?" a perky female voice asked.

Matt winced inwardly. It had to be Su, didn't it? She seemed like such a sweet girl. She really didn't deserve this.

"I would like to place an order," Beyond said authoritatively.

"Alright, can I get your address?" Su asked.

"We live in the brown brick apartment with the grumpy landlord who is always out front, working on the landscaping with an intense expression of displeasure," Beyond said.

Matt kicked him in the shin.

Beyond told her the address impatiently. "And the frowning landlord," he added again, still convinced that this information would be more beneficial to the delivery driver than the actual street address. Beyond was observant to an absurd degree and his brain was always on, always thinking and figuring things out. Sometimes he forgot that normal people's brains didn't work quite the same way as his, especially when it came to his innate discomfort about reading the signs on buildings. He'd tried to explain to Matt once, as vaguely as possible, that he didn't like the idea of looking at someone or something and being able to just read it's name and information about the person or place. Matt chalked it up to just one of Beyond's weird neuroses and still didn't know just how right he was.

"Alright," Su said uncomfortably. "I've got your phone number on the caller id. Is this the number we can reach you at best?"

"Yes, I believe so, unless Matt has a secret cell phone that he isn't tell me about, which I suspect he does," Beyond said cheerfully. "But even so, this will probably be the easiest phone to reach us on, since Matt will likely insist on pretending as if he has no idea what I'm talking about, in regards to his extra phone."

"It wasn't secret, exactly..." Matt protested. "It was just because I was bored and this phone looked cooler than the other."

"Right," Su said. "Can I go ahead and take your order?"

"Of course," Beyond said. "We know what we want. Two orders of egg drop soup. One needs to be mixed with equal parts hot and sour soup. The other needs to be mixed with equal parts of sweet and sour red sauce." Beyond lowered his voice conspiratorially. "Although if you want to add more red sauce than egg drop soup, that is perfectly acceptable. The only reason I am ordering egg drop soup and not just red sauce is because Matt is making me."

"Don't forget the wonton soup!" Matt said urgently.

"And wonton soup," Beyond agreed. "With between fourteen and nineteen packets of teriyaki sauce so that they can be mixed in."

"Er," Su said.

"Now, on to the appetizers," Beyond said. "We would like three orders of crab rangoon. Remove the cream cheese from one order and place it all on top of the second order. The third we will accept as normally served."

"Thank God," Su sighed.

"Except," Beyond continued, we would like the insides to be replaced to be that of a spring roll, and we would also like an order of spring rolls filled with the remaining cream cheese from the crab rangoon."

"I'm not sure if we--"

Matt plucked the phone out of Beyond's hands. "Hey, Su. It's Matt."

"Oh!" Suddenly, Su's voice was filled with relieved understanding. "I was so sure that this was some sort of prank. I should have recognized the order, but I'm so used to your voice and I got all thrown off by that creepy guy."

Matt didn't bother hiding his chuckle. "Can we just get our usual?"

"No prob. It's Thursday night, we already have everything made up to your specifications and I think Jonny won the coin toss and gets to deliver tonight," Su said with an easy laugh.

"Awesome. We'll see him in about twenty minutes then?" Matt asked.

"You bet. You'd better tip him well," Su said teasingly. "Jonny's taking me out tonight and he'd better make it good. If he takes me somewhere cheap, I'm holding you personally responsible."

"Sounds like a deal," Matt said easily. "Since I know it's for you, Su, I might have to slip him a bit extra." Matt glanced at the digital numbers on his computer. "Especially if he hurries up. I've got a church meeting tonight, and I don't want to be late."

Beyond's mouth tugged into a frown that clearly told Matt that they would be having words on that issue after Matt hung up.

Matt hung up, meeting Beyond's gaze for all of half a second before standing up and turning away. "I'm definitely going." Beyond's gaze was too difficult to meet for any extended period of time, but that didn't mean Matt wasn't resolute.

"Hm." Beyond leaned back in his chair until his head hung upside-down over the back, his black hair tumbling around and in his face. "Alright, then."

Matt stared, eyes narrowed. "What's the catch?"

"There's two," Beyond said, not looking up.

"And?" Matt prompted. He was getting bored with this conversation rapidly. There was twenty-but-probably-closer-to-fifteen minutes until their Chinese food arrived, then Matt would leave to check out Mihael's church. Cult. Thing. It wasn't like he was getting sucked in by the cult stuff. Matt just wanted to listen to Mihael talk some more, wearing that cassock robe that probably wasn't actually meant to define Mihael's body the way that it totally did.

Matt reached for his video game. Beyond slapped his arm away, just hard enough to surprise Matt into pulling his hand back.

"One," Beyond said. "Actually listen and try to find out information. If I find you to be an unreliable source, I won't be able to condone this infiltration."

"Listening won't be a problem," Matt agreed.

"Two, you will drive the Jeep there and park it three blocks away, in the back parking lot of the apartment complex with the orange flowers I don't like all over the landscaping." Beyond didn't sit up, so much as he suddenly propped himself up on his arms, flipping his position sideways.

"Multitasking," Matt summarized, looking thoughtful. He frowned. "If you expect the Jeep to get stolen, how am I going to get back home?"

Beyond's smile was entirely patronizing. "Perhaps Hot Priest Mihael will give you a lift home."

"I really hate you sometimes," Matt grumbled, reaching for his video game and succeeding in grabbing it, meaning that Beyond was done with the conversation and Matt could stop paying attention now. Matt took this opening without further hesitation and immersed himself in a game of Tetris.


	4. Chapter 4

"I really hate you sometimes," Matt told the humid night air. It was a sticky kind of hot that made his goggles fog up, so by necessity he had shoved them up out of his face, to tangle with his hair.

Everything had gone perfectly according to plan, which meant that his Jeep, complete with the multitude of discreet tracking devices that he'd spent most of the day planting, had been stolen. Whether it had been stolen by the right group was a complete mystery, but he'd leave that kind of work to Beyond.

Matt hadn't really planned what to do if the Jeep had gotten stolen. Planning was usually Beyond's thing, sort of. Matt proofread the plans as best as he could, but sometimes he slipped up and let Tetris or Pikachu or Mario or Beyond's smug and entirely arch sarcasm distract him from his job. And it was times like that, that he ended up stranded too far from home with his cell phone beeping on low battery and no ride home.

Matt turned back to The Neo-Catholic Church of the Reformation reluctantly, pulling up the hood on his jacket to block the chill night wind. Not that he didn't still think Hot Priest Mihael was the hottest thing ever to wear a cassock, but the church meeting had been boring. Hot Priest Mihael had barely been there, and when he was there, he mostly left the talking to Halle, an impassioned blonde chick that he couldn't help but picture with a gun in her hand as she shot down the men in blurry security footage. When it wasn't Halle talking, it was Matsuda, a Japanese man with bright eyes and a thick, clumsy accent. While he supposed both of them were bright in their own right, Halle moreso than Matsuda, neither of them could compare to the depth and intelligence that rang from Mihael every time he spoke. Plus, The Neo-Catholic Church of the Reformation had brown carpeted floors that smelled like musty linens that hadn't been aired out in too long, or the insides of library book left too long on the shelf. It made Matt sneeze.

Inside the church, everything was silent, the people attending the church meeting having already left the same time Matt had, a good twenty minutes earlier.

"Hello?" Matt called out.

There was a soft stirring noise, but Matt couldn't quite place where it was coming from.

"Hello?" Matt repeated, putting a little more force in his voice.

There was a soft clicking noise that came from right behind Matt. Matt knew better than to turn around, though, especially when he felt the pressure of the barrel of a gun press neatly against the very top of his neck, probably square on with his brain stem. Matt put his hands in the air instantly, fingers spread to show that he wasn't carrying anything.

"I'm sorry," Matt said quickly. "I was at the church meeting, but my car got jacked. I didn't know where else to go."

Deft hands yanked down the hood that Matt had forgotten he'd even pulled up. Suddenly the pressure on his neck softened. "Matt?" a familiar voice asked incredulously.

Matt turned, and fought the urge to respond with "Hot Priest Mihael!" -- at least for now. He'd save that one for when he wasn't about to ask for a ride home and when Hot Priest Mihael didn't have an impressive looking little gun held up to his head.

"What are you doing here?" Mihael asked, flipping the safety back on and slipping the handgun into his front pocket. "I thought you left with everyone else."

"Like I said," Matt said with a rueful grin. "My car was stolen. Brand new car, too." If Mihael was going to pretend that the past thirty seconds, the thirty seconds where Mihael was a trigger pull away from blowing off Matt's head, never happened, then Matt was going to do the same.

"I don't believe in unfortunate circumstances," Mihael said, with a pleasant smile. It was the type of pleasant smile that made Matt's eyes wander to the rest of what he could only assume to be Mihael's off-duty gear: a pair of fitted jeans, a loose black sweater and a large gold rosary. And, of course, the gun tucked, still very visible, in the front pocket of his jeans. Mihael's smile just pulled the look all together. "Every unfortunate circumstance is just an opportunity, waiting to be taken."

"I had Chinese tonight too. My fortune cookie was way lamer than yours though," Matt said glibly.

Mihael's smile faltered briefly. "...Right. What I meant to say was that you're welcome to spend the night here if you'd like."

Matt was pretty sure, once again, that Mihael didn't mean that as a come on. Probably. But really, could one hot priest say so many suggestive things and not actually mean them?

"Uh, yeah. I'd like that," Matt said, meeting Mihael's eyes. "I'd like that a lot."

"Great. I'm sure there's a spare room open in one of the dormitories," Mihael said briskly moving past Matt towards a hallway off to the left.

Damn. Apparently one hot priest _could _say so many suggestive things and not actually mean them.

"Well," Matt hesitated. "I'd have to let my --" Did he and Beyond ever work out their cover story? "--brother know where I am. He's a bit overprotective and he'll freak out if I don't come home."

"We don't keep any phones in the facility," Mihael said, and Matt was almost positive that was a lie, but he'd let it pass. "Don't you have a cell phone, though?"

Matt pulled out his phone. The low battery light was still flashing, which meant that he might be able to jam one quick phone call in. "Maybe," he said. He flipped it open and pushed the speed dial for home.

Beyond answered on the first ring. Before he could quite get out his hello, Matt interrupted. "Jeep stolen, staying at church, see you tomorrow."

"That's fine," Beyond replied mildly. "I expected about as much."

"Great," Matt said. "Have you --" But then his phone made the peculiar little sing song beeping noise that it always made upon dying. He clicked it closed.

"He shouldn't worry now," Mihael said. "I guess you're all ours for the night. Is there anything you need? I can bring down some pajamas for you, but I don't think we have any spare toothbrushes around."

"Don't trouble yourself," Matt said dismissively. "I always sleep naked anyways."

Mihael's cheeks slowly turned a bright, sharp color at those words. "Oh. O-of course. That's fine then. Is there anything you do need, then?"

Aside from the blush and Mihael's brief stutter, there was nothing to give away Mihael's emotions. That was enough for Matt, though. Mihael dealt with people on the street every day, not to mention whatever shady criminals he apparently liked to associate with. A stammer and a blush was a definite accomplishment.

"No, I think I'll be fine," Matt said, stretching out on the low-lying bed. "But thanks for letting me stay here tonight. I owe you one."

Matt knew as soon as the words left his mouth that he'd just said exactly the right or exactly the wrong thing. Mihael was good at playing people, but not even he could conceal the spark of satisfaction in his eyes or the twitch of a smirk that crossed his smile.

"I might just take you up on that," Mihael said. "Some other time."

"Right," Matt said, trying to prop himself up and make himself comfortable at the same time. It was no easy task. The little bed with it's crisp white sheets was probably the itchiest, lumpiest thing he'd ever had the displeasure of sitting on. He wondered if it would be horribly rude if he slept on the floor, as it was probably more comfortable than this thing.

"Goodnight, then. The bathroom is at the end of the hall and clearly labeled. Deacon Matsuda will be by in the morning to wake you up and drive you home." Mihael smiled. "Sweet dreams, now."

Mihael moved to close the door, but Matt interrupted him. "What, you're not going to tuck me in?"

"You haven't said your prayers yet," Mihael said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Besides, according to what you told me not five minutes ago, you're still wearing far too many clothes to be ready to be tucked in. And," he added, before Matt could get a word in edgewise. "I, unfortunately have duties to attend to elsewhere."

This time, Mihael really did close the door as he exited, leaving Matt lying flat on his back, arms behind his head and a smile on his face.

* * *

Mihael walked down the hall, pace substantially quicker now, mind racing. That was interesting. He wasn't quite sure what to think about that kid, Matt Birthday. He was attractive and flirtatious, but neither of those really mattered to Mihael beyond a passing interest. More importantly, there was someone highly intelligent lurking somewhere just past the smart alec quips and the lazy attitude. Mihael prided himself on being extremely good at reading people, and Matt was proving to be quite the challenge. It was nothing he hadn't faced before, though, and he had always come out number one.

He took a sharp right and went through a wood door substantially nicer than those used on the dormitory rooms, leading him into a conference room. Instantly, the two occupants rose to their feet.

"Mihael!" Matsuda exclaimed, always happy to see him.

"Mihael," Halle said, equally warmly. "So glad you could join us." Unlike in Matsuda's voice, her voice held an unspoken question in her voice about where he'd been and why he was so late.

Mihael hated keeping Halle in suspense. He leaned on the table. "Matt Birthday attended the advanced trainee meeting this evening," he said. "What can you two tell me about him?"

"Violently red hair, godawful sense of fashion," Halle said. "Kept to himself quite a bit, but was definitely listening very attentively. I marked him on the list as being a definite candidate for full church membership."

Mihael nodded, mostly to himself. "Do we have any records on him outside of the church meeting?"

Halle frowned. "Matt Birthday? I don't think he's been on any of the lists that we've been following..."

"I've heard the name before," Matsuda said, with a slight frown. "I can't quite place it, though."

"It's a unique name," Mihael said encouragingly. "I'm sure it will come to you. Now on to--"

"No, no," Matsuda insisted. "It's on the tip of my tongue now."

"Don't interrupt Mihael," Halle snapped. "What were you saying, Mihael?"

"Just wanted to make sure everything was on schedule for shipping the firearms," Mihael said. "If that doesn't go through, we're going to need some kind of back-up plan in order to get money to pay for next Thursday's diamond shipment. Those diamonds are going to be absolutely key to funding the new wave of inductees."

"Have you decided when you want the next wave of new inductees to begin initiation? I think we have several extremely promising candidates who are beginning to show interest," Halle said. She pulled up a stack of manilla folders from the binder at her feet. "Look at this man. His name is Anthony Carter, a captain in the military. He--"

"We should wait," Mihael said. "At least a few more weeks."

"Is this because of your Matt Birthday?" Halle asked, eyes narrowed.

"Don't be ridiculous," Mihael lied, glancing down at the chart of goods that they were transporting this week. "Why would I halt the salvation of dozens, just for one boy?"

"Why, exactly," Halle agreed with pursed lips.

"I would need a reason for that," Mihael said. "And I don't have a reason. Yet." His eyes went skyward. "If I need a reason, He will provide. If He does not provide, I don't need one."

"I think I got it!" Matsuda shouted.

Halle and Mihael both turned their eyes to Matsuda who had grabbed a stack of papers and was busily shifting through them. "Well, hold on," Matsuda said.

"Anyways," Mihael said. "If we wait just a few more weeks, it will give us time to add any stragglers -- such as Matt Birthday -- to the induction. In addition, however, it will give us time to make the drop offs for the diamonds and get paid for that. We'll have the finances to spend all the time we need to with the new inductees. Furthermore, if we --"

"Matt Birthday!" Matsuda exclaimed.

"Matsuda," Halle said sternly, as if scolding a misbehaving puppy.

"No, look here," Matsuda said, shoving a stapled set of papers towards them.

Mihael pulled them to himself first. "Beyond Birthday, freelance detective..." He read further. Beyond Birthday, who may or may not be the brother Matt had mentioned was apparently a very prolific detective in the area. "I need something a little more solid, Matsuda," he said.

"Here," Matsuda said, pointing to a paragraph on the third page of the report.

Mihael read. When he was done, he pushed the paper towards Halle, a very smug look on his face. "Didn't I tell you He would provide?"


End file.
